Crime up in Suffolk by almost 16%

Dan Barker

Crime is on the rise across Suffolk with official statistics showing offences increased 15.7 per cent.

The Office for National Statistics data shows that crime rose in line with figures for England and Wales but Suffolk remains one of the safest counties, ranking 17th lowest nationally.

In the county crimes where violence was used against a person rose above national trends at 29 per cent, robberies increased 18 per cent, and sexual offences rose seven per cent.

The data is calculated from the police crime logs in England and Wales. The latest police figures for the 12 months to September show that across 44 forces robbery was up 29 per cent, sex offences increased by 23 per cent, and knife crime increased 21 per cent.

Harassment figures rose by 87 per cent in Suffolk, attributed to changes in the crime classification for this category with harassment added to stalking. In England and Wales the rise was 36 per cent.

Suffolk's Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Jupp said: "We remain proud of Suffolk's long-standing reputation for being one of the county's safest counties and these latest figures, in general, reflect the national trend of increases in various crime categories.

"This complexity encompasses a continued shift towards certain types of crime, including those termed as areas of ‘hidden harm’, such as sexual offences, internet-based crime, domestic abuse and modern-day slavery.

"Set against how we respond to these growing challenges is our determination to ensure other types of crime, including violence and burglaries in particular, remain among our top priorities.

"We are also determined to continue to do everything we can to protect the communities we serve and live in, and those who are most vulnerable in our society.

"It is important to stress some of the increase in crimes can be attributed to the confidence growing numbers of victims have in their reports being taken seriously, changes to the way in which some crime is classified and some improvements in our crime recording processes."